Aftermaths
by Yami Insomniac
Summary: This story happens after the ending of Lord Kass's story 'Gundam: War of the Souls'. Yes, I have her permission to use the characterthing's from her story.
1. Title Didn't Fit

**_When all is said and done, do friendships really stand?_**

There was to much yeast in the bread and to much parsly in the cheese topping, but the girl didn't complain as she spread some more icing on it.  
The teller for the small shop had given her quite the odd look when she had ordered the side of icing.

Sipping her chocolate milk she stared out the window in to the pouring rain.  
She often came to this shop to sit in the corner booth and stare out at the river, alone with her thoughts.  
Today was dark and stormy, blurring the image of the of the empty park across the way.

"Would you just look at the miserable weather out there. Radio says it's going to keep up like this all weekend." said a lady to an employee as she was leaving.

"I like the rain." the girl whispered to herself, not glancing away from the window, "It keeps the people away."

"and what would you call yourself then Miho?" came a friendly male tone

The girl didn't move at all, she simply kept watching the water on the window as she replied still quiet

"Dead Kyo. I'd call myself dead."

"You look perfectly alive to me."

Kyo smiled at her as she turned to weatch him sit down across from her.

"Then stop looking with your eyes." seh stated sharply as she stodd and walked out of the cafe and into the storm.

"To many things have changed since that day." Kyo sighed to himself as he watched Miho walk away, never looking back  
"Do you think she'll ever snap out of it Ryder?"

Turning Kyo looked to another boy stepping up beside the table

"We all changed Kyo. It's not a matter of 'snapping out if it'. Miho lost herself back then, and it almost cost her all of us. She refuses to place us in any type of position where she might have us harmed. Indirectly or otherwise."

"So after all this looking we're just going to let her dissapear agian?"

"I'll go and talk to her."

"You want me to come?"

"I think it would be better if you didn't. Better still if you didn't follow either."

Ryder paused as he glanced at Kyo,

"She's not as trusting and won't stick around to talk if someone else is watching. We saw that here."

Kyo nodded as Ryder headed for the door

"Alright. I'll meet back up with you later then."

Ryder found Miho only a couple of blocks away, around a corner in a small allyway.  
She was leaning against a wall, arms crossed upon her chest and face uplifted.  
Her mask of antisocializem was down now as she seemed to be enjoying the pouring rain as it hit her skin.

"So there is some emotion other then fear left in there."

Miho let her smile fall away as Ryder stepped in front of her, smiling himself, hands in his pockets looking relaxed.  
He didn't smile like that normally, it was,.. kind of nice.

"Only false hopes and lost dreams." she said quietly, more to herself then him.

"Stop hiding Miho. You cna go home now. The wa-"

"I can go home" Miho snapped as she leveled a dark glare on him, "You where there. You saw what happened Ryder."

"Yes. I saw it wasn't your fault to."

Ryder remained calm and unphased, just like he had always been.  
Miho stepped forward from the wall trying to choke back adn hide her tears.  
Her old friends being here was grinding on some old scars that she wanted left alone.

"It was my actions that led to what happened, " Miho stopped, her emotions where getting the better of her

"Miho," Ryders voice softened as he stepped towards her

"No!" she yelped falling back on the wall

Ryder could see panic edging into them as she worked to remain calm.  
After a few moments she spoke again.

"No."

Her voice was quiet like before, änd she seemed to be calmed once more

"Ryder."

"Hrm?"

"Why are you really here?"

"Heh, I was wondering if you would finnally ask."

"I'm not dumb Ryder." Miho's eyes narrowed "You left me to myself this long."

"I came to give you this."

Pulling a hand from his pocket, Ryder held out a small diskett to her, she knew those disks...

"Ryder,.."

"It;s a mission disk Miho. Take it or leave it." Ryder stated, his old calm tone returned

Miho's thoughts raced.  
Did she want to know why he was here after all this time?  
What was worth this trouble that he would want her?  
Apparently her curiousity hadn't dimished much despite everything else aboout her that seemed to have.

Looking up Miho meet a very dark questioning gaze from Ryder

"You do still have it?"

Miho returned the glare with one of confidence, not the slightlest sign of any of the fear that had resided in her only a moment ago.  
Everything about this had just changed.  
She knew, at least in part just what this was all about.

"Hai."

"It's needed Miho."

Reachign over Miho took the still offered disk from Ryder,

"I make no promises about this."

Ryder turned away and began his way back towards the end of the ally

"None of us ever did. Go solo or whatever. Doesn't matter to me."

"Who said I was coming?"

Miho never got a reply other then a shrug from Ryders back as he rounded the corner adn dissapeared from veiw.


	2. Title Needed

When Ryder caught up to Kyo it was outside a small daycare on the other side of the city.

"Is she coming?"

Kyo asked as he turned to greet Ryder with a smile

"You know what she'll have to do once she looks at the disk."

"You think she'll come with us?"

In the past, they wouldn't have had to ask that.  
Or try to work their way around trying to get her to trust them.  
Some things, they truely had taken for granted.  
Ryder supressed a sigh as he turned to watch the children in the daycare.  
They didn't seem to have a care in the world.

"She's to unstable for me to tell what she's going to do."

"Ryder, what happened on that mission? She wasn't the same when you two came back. Everything she said didn't make any sence, and you wouldn't say anything."

Kyo's question was answered with only silence.

"Ryder, "

Ryder heard Kyo continue but wasn't listening.  
He was far from the conversation, lost in old memories.  
Memories of Miho's last mission as their trusting friend.

They where in a populated area at the time and Miho had convinced Ryder to go to the malll with her.  
She always did have a way with her words when she wanted to.

"Maybe baby blue,.. hm, wait no. I don't like the design in that one.."

Miho babbled more to herslef then to Ryder.  
She knew he was listening, but had no interest in what she was saying.

Side glancing she noticed him sigh and shift in posture slightly as a couple of girls wa;led by, giving a glance at Ryder befor noticing Miho and giggling to themselves as they continued on with their chatter.

"Miho."

Ryders tone cut at her sharply, so she turned to him with a clueless innocent look plastered across her face.

"Uh,. Yes Ryder?"

"Cut the act."

"It's not an act." Miho muttered, going back to her shopping and resuming her babble.

"Then what do you call it? Since you obviously know more about whats going on with Taka and the war then we do."

Miho stopped moving for a moment and went quiet.  
After a short silence and being use to her being louder Ryder almost missed what she said next in the noise of the mall.

"I know less then you think."

"What do you know about what I think?" Ryder replied coldly as he moved closer.  
He didn't want to miss snything else the now rather quiet Miho might say.

"Not much.."

Ryder went to reply, but Miho spun around suddenly.  
One of her old smiles plastered across her face, and volume returned to her voice

"I'm hungry. Let's head for the food court!"

And that was where the conversationhad ended.  
Ryder had tried to bring it up again, but each time something else would get in the way on the conversation.

That day had left Ryder wondering alot about Miho and her actions for a long timeafterwards.

"Ryder, come on now. Stop ignoring me."

Kyo's voiced finnally pulled Ryder back out of his thoughts.  
Refocusing his eyes on his surroundings as he turned to regard Kyo again as they began walking

"Man, where'd you go? I've never seen you zone out like before."

"Nowhere. Now lets go meet up with Avi.

Ryders tone told Kyo that the conversation was over.  
Both remained quiet as theyt walked.  
Neither noticed the dark brown eyes that followed them.


End file.
